Vehicle Control Device for Safe Merging at Intersections
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle control systems fail to effectively manage the risk of emergency situations when a main road vehicle is forced to stop within a railway crossing due to a side road vehicle entering the main road before the main road vehicle exits, particularly at intersections or railway crossings.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle control device equipped with an external environment recognition unit, a risk determination unit, and an entry permission determination unit that assesses the risk of a side road vehicle entering the main road and determines whether the host vehicle can safely merge based on the position and type of the intersecting region, adjusting entry conditions to minimize risk.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the host vehicle enters the main road from the side road when another vehicle is at a rearward position, then the host vehicle can proceed with its travel plan, but it may force the other vehicle to stop at an unsafe location (inside railway crossing or intersection)
Solution Approach 1:
The risk determination unit performs preliminary risk assessment before the host vehicle enters the main road. It determines whether another vehicle is present at a rearward position and calculates the risk of forcing that vehicle to stop inside a railway crossing or intersection. This preliminary action prevents the host vehicle from entering when it would create an unsafe situation, resolving the contradiction between travel efficiency and safety by prioritizing safety assessment before action.
2Reliability
If the host vehicle waits for the main road to be clear before entering, then safety is improved, but travel time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically changes the entry permission parameter based on real-time risk assessment. When another vehicle is detected at a rearward position, the risk determination unit calculates the risk level, and the entry permission determination unit adjusts the entry permission accordingly - granting entry when risk is low and denying entry when risk is high. This parameter-based dynamic control resolves the contradiction by allowing entry when safe (reducing time loss) and preventing entry when unsafe (maintaining safety).
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a vehicle control device capable of suitably controlling the driving (autonomous driving or driving assistance) of a host vehicle when the host vehicle turns left from a side road into a main road (to merge into traffic). When the host vehicle is about to turn left into the main road, if the host vehicle recognizes that another vehicle is traveling along the main road behind the point [the intersection region of the side road and the main road] where the host vehicle enters the main road, then the host vehicle determines a risk that is associated with the other vehicle and that is dependent on the traveling position of the other vehicle, and determines whether or not to enter the main road, on the basis of the determined risk associated with the other vehicle.